Today in Iraq

War News for November 29, 2003 Bring 'em on: One US soldier wounded in roadside bomb ambush near Samarra. Bring 'em on: Explosion in Baghdad damages highway bridge. Bring 'em on: Spanish intelligence team ambushed near Najaf. Witnesses report four killed, two captured. Bring 'em on: US patrol ambushed by roadside bomb north of Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers wounded by land mine near Syrian border. CENTCOM reports US soldier dies from "non-hostile gunshot wound." Attacks on US troops are down to 22 per day. How much has the US operations tempo has increased to suppress insurgent activity? And how long can US forces sustain a high optempo? Insurgents developing effective intelligence network. Bremer's Iraqi police may be helping insurgents. Iraqis wonder why Lieutenant AWOL didn't stay very long. Bush's Baghdad trip: Turns out Andy Card had to put a boot in Lieutenant AWOL's ass. "For a president fond of a tough-guy image, George W. Bush was uneasy when an aide casually asked him, 'You want to go to Baghdad?'" Sen. Clinton arrives in Baghdad. Neil "Silverado" Bush cashes in on Iraq reconstruction with a little help from Joe Allbaugh. If this was a story about Bill Clinton's brother, the press would be all over it. Tomorrow morning you'd see Orrin Hatch on the talk shows doing back flips and squirting diarrhea all over Tim Russert's suit and tie. Chalabi reviews reconstruction contracts. Montana soldier describes Iraq duty before returning. "A Great Falls police officer for five years, Badgley was activated by the Army Reserve on Feb. 7. His 889th Quartermaster Company left for Fort Lewis, Texas, on Feb. 10 and arrived in Kuwait April 22. Badgley entered Iraq on May 15." Army hospital in Baghdad. " The worst that Maj. Michael Hilliard, 33, an emergency physician, saw back home in San Antonio were car crash and gunshot victims. Here, he estimates that he has treated the broken bodies of more than 1,000 U.S. soldiers." Patrolling in Tikrit. One of the hidden casualties. Casualty Assistance Officer: The hardest job in the Army. " Relatives dread nothing more than the unexpected drop-in by a military officer while a family member is on duty overseas." Pipeline Watch: Summary of insurgent attacks against oil targets. Army reservist sounds off about back-to-back deployments. I don't condone this shit, especially from an officer. But it's a strong indicator of the state of morale that a soldier with previous tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan sounds off like this. Bush and Rummy continue their "Bone the Troops" policy. "Joyce Wessel Raezer, director of government relations for National Military Family Association, said it’s time to stop raising anxiety levels among military families with 'business-case' attacks on military support systems such as schools and the $1 billion-a-year commissary subsidy. 'Why is it so important right now to nickel and dime the commissary benefit?' she asked. 'It’s just raising stress. And it is small potatoes compared to some of the other items in the defense budget.'" Nick Kristoff announces results of "Name That War" contest. Commentary Opinion: A nation at war. "That we support our troops cannot be denied, and should never be questioned. When they return, they will be honored and they will have tales to tell and questions to ask. They deserve our ears and our answers. That we should look with pride and trust to a man who put these men and women at grave risk under false premises, who squandered the good will of nations, to say nothing of lost opportunities, and whose actions have polarized the country, is incomprehensible to me." Opinion: Bush delivers a turkey. "The May 1 campaign appearance produced the Flight-jacket George doll, and perhaps the Thanksgiving photo op will give us Army-jacketed George delivering a plate of turkey. The turkey can symbolize his Iraq policy." Operation Cut and Run Back to the drawing board. "But the administration's initial plan for that transfer of authority has unraveled, raising doubts about whether the June 30 deadline for ending the U.S. occupation authority in Baghdad remains feasible." Have these neo-conservative clowns had any plans that didn't "unravel?" When reality meets ideology, reality always wins. Casualty Reports Local story: North Carolina soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Indiana soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: North Dakota soldier dies in Iraq.